hip-hop

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Strapped Rappers Don Bogus Bling

They still talk the talk, but their stones are now cubic zirconia clones

(Newser) - Tough times in the hip-hop industry have taken the ka-ching out of bling, the Wall Street Journal reports. Record sales and concert attendance are falling, and jewelers say that more and more of the flashy pendants and chains favored by rappers trying to keep up appearances now contain lower-quality stones,...

Fans Cheer TI at 'Bye Bash' Before Prison

48 hours before prison, Atlanta rapper sells out arena

(Newser) - TI returned to his native Atlanta to play a sold out "Goodbye Bash" last night, just two days before he reports to a federal prison for a weapons conviction. Many of his fans expressed support for the convicted rapper, whom they described as a role model, reports the Atlanta ...

Jay-Z Leaves Def Jam
 Jay-Z 
 Leaves 
 Def Jam 
May 21, 2009 3:53 PM CDT

Jay-Z Leaves Def Jam

(Newser) - Jay-Z confirmed to RapRadar today that he has left Def Jam Records after more than a decade. The news follows an unconfirmed report on HitsDailyDouble that the rapper bought out his contract for $5 million. Jay-Z, 39, owed Def Jam one more album, but he was eager to move on...

Ciara Lost on Fantasy Ride
 Ciara Lost on Fantasy Ride 
MUSIC REVIEW
May 21, 2009 1:33 PM CDT

Ciara Lost on Fantasy Ride

(Newser) - Ciara's tiny voice can't survive in the spaces her producers leave on her new album, Fantasy Ride, but the disc does provide a few fascinating diversions. Some critical opinions:
  • "That's what you get with Fantasy Ride," Tom Breihan writes on Pitchfork. "A few brilliant left turns that
...

Dolla's Shooting 'Sparked by Strip Club Brawl'

Sources believe Atlanta dispute followed rapper to LA

(Newser) - Dolla's shooting in a Los Angeles mall yesterday may have been the result of a fight at a strip club in the rapper's hometown of Atlanta the week before, police sources tell the Los Angeles Times. Accused killer Aubrey Louis Berry, an events promoter, had a row with the 21-year-old...

Busta's Back, in Fine Form
 Busta's Back, 
 in Fine Form 
opinion
May 19, 2009 6:29 PM CDT

Busta's Back, in Fine Form

(Newser) - Busta Rhymes is back with his first album in three years, and if his record release party last night is any indication, he's barely missed a beat, writes Jayson Rodriguez in Rolling Stone. Rhymes—whose Back On My B.S. is out today—"has long been recognized as one...

Dolla Shooting Suspect Held on $1M Bail

Cops questioning 2 persons of interest in rapper's LA slaying

(Newser) - Los Angeles police have charged 23-year-old Aubrey Louis Berry with the murder of Roderick Anthony Burton II, better known as up-and-coming rapper Dolla, E! reports. Berry is being held on $1 million bail. Police have questioned two other persons of interest as well, a man and a woman, but neither...

Rapper Dolla Shot Dead at LA Mall

Man arrested at airport after Atlanta-based star gunned down

(Newser) - Up-and-coming Atlanta-based rapper Dolla was shot dead in the parking garage of LA's Beverly Center mall yesterday, the Los Angeles Times reports. The 21-year-old musician, shot in the head, had arrived in the city earlier that day. A suspect fled the scene in a silver Mercedes and was later arrested,...

Soul 2 Sole Scans 30 Years of Sneaker Culture

From hip-hop to basketball, these have become more than just shoes to many

(Newser) - David Park, a student at Parsons School of Design, packs 30 years of sneakers and sneaker culture into a stop-action video created for his thesis project, Hype Beast reports. New York in the 1970s is the opener, as Run DMC’s “My Adidas” plays over images of breakdancing kids....

On Relapse, Eminem Still Nasty, Still Genius

(Newser) - Eminem’s new album, Relapse, is as crude as you might expect, but his unflinching examination of his drug addiction has floored some critics. Overall, people love it or hate it.
  • "The power of Relapse comes from Em aiming his beat-downs at his truest target, himself," Rob Sheffield
...

Hills' Pratt on Rap Bona Fides: 'I'm the White Jay-Z'

(Newser) - The Hills’ Spencer Pratt has designs on the rap genre, MTV reports. “I’ve always known that I secretly am the hottest rapper in the game,” said the exceedingly white reality star, who plans to record an album on the heels of his single, I’m a Celebrity....

Old School? New School? Kids Rap to Better Grades

(Newser) - A novel afterschool program, developed in Chicago and Cleveland and just now hitting Denver, uses rap music to make kids better students, the Post reports. “They learn about similes, different poetic devices,” the program’s founder said. They “learn to rap a Shakespearean piece.” One decidedly...

SpongeBob, Rap Don't Mix in Ad, Parents Tell Burger King

Many find mix of SpongeBob Squarepants and 'booty rap' uncomfortable

(Newser) - Burger King is under fire from parents for a new TV ad in which SpongeBob Squarepants, Sir Mix-A-Lot, and rap music video antics combine for an uncomfortable mix of adult and child entertainment, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. The spot mixes cartoon clips with shots of “the King,” and...

'Dork' White Rapper Finds College Niche

(Newser) - Asher Roth’s image isn’t classic hip-hop: He’s a white kid who wears sweatshirts and calls himself a “dork.” But that image, along with the breakout hit “I Love College,” has earned him a top-10 spot on iTunes and millions of MySpace streams, the...

Eminem 'Nails' Palin in New Song

Rapper to Alaska guv: 'Say hello to my little friend'

(Newser) - Eminem’s back, and he’s got a political message: He wants to sleep with Sarah Palin. In the song We Made You, off his forthcoming album Relapse, Eminem asks for “my venom, an inhaler, and two Xenadrine/ And I’ll invite Sarah Palin out to dinner, then/Nail her....

20 Years Later, Young MC Still Busts a Move

(Newser) - It’s been 20 years since self-described “1 Hit Wonder” Young MC released Bust a Move, but the rapper is happy the song has held up as well as it has, he tells Rolling Stone. People aren’t “going to get a babysitter to go to a club...

Teen Fans Blame...Rihanna
 Teen Fans Blame...Rihanna 
Mar 19, 2009 8:51 AM CDT

Teen Fans Blame...Rihanna

Experts stress need for education

(Newser) - Who deserves the blame for Chris Brown’s alleged attack on Rihanna? Not Brown, say many teens. A recent survey showed 46% blame Rihanna, while 52% placed blame on both parties, the New York Times reports—and the level of support has parents worried. "She probly ran into a...

Hip-Hop Fans Get Own Guitar Hero

Scratch 'could reinvigorate DJ culture'

(Newser) - Could DJs be the next Guitar Heroes? The publisher of Scratch: The Ultimate DJ hopes so. "I know that Scratch can reinvigorate DJ culture," turntable icon Mix Master Mike tells Ars Technica of the videogame, due out this summer. It'll push kids "into getting real turntables to...

Hip-Hop Comes to Late Night
 Hip-Hop Comes to Late Night 
Feb 28, 2009 8:27 AM CST

Hip-Hop Comes to Late Night

But Fallon's band will branch out from rap Roots

(Newser) - When it comes to music, late-night talk shows have long been the province of the Great American Songbook—with some rock and jazz mixed in. But when Jimmy Fallon takes the stage next week, it will be with longtime hip-hop band the Roots. “The show's going to be a...

LL Cool J to Obama: 'You Must Deliver'

Rapper has stern words, advice for president in open letter

(Newser) - These are challenging times indeed for Barack Obama, but LL Cool J's got the answers, reports the Daily Mirror. The 41-year-old rapper offers some advice in an open letter cautioning the leader of the free world against disappointing those inspired by his message of hope: “You have shifted the...

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